The two main opposition parties in Nigeria called on Tuesday for the cancellation of the presidential election held on Saturday in Africa's most populous country and the organization of a "
new ballot
", denouncing “
massive manipulation of results
”.
The still partial results officially proclaimed by the National Electoral Commission (Inec) until then give a slight lead to the candidate of the ruling party (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and concern only 14 States out of 36, not counting the territory of the federal capital Abuja.
"The election is irretrievably damaged
and we have totally lost faith in the whole process
," representatives of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labor Party (LP) told a joint press conference, demanding that "
this sham election be canceled immediately
".
"
We also call for the holding of a new election
," they added through the voice of Julius Abure, the president of the LP.
Denouncing "
massive manipulation
", they believe that the results already known "
do not reflect the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians
" as expressed at the ballot box.
vote of no confidence
They also call for "
a vote of no confidence
" in INEC President Mahmood Yakubu, and call on outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari "
to keep the promise made to Nigerians to leave a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible
”.
“
President Buhari, this is the time of the great test of your integrity.
Use your position to save Nigerians from this election mess
,” they said.
More than 87 million voters voted on Saturday to choose from 18 candidates the next president of Nigeria, weighed down by a sluggish economy, recurring violence by armed groups and bandits, as well as a general impoverishment of the population.
The presidential race is very tight between three favorites: Bola Tinubu leads so far with more than 4.1 million votes, against 3 million votes for Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, the main opposition party.
Peter Obi (LP), whose popularity with young people, who see him as honest and competent, took everyone by surprise, has so far won 1.6 million votes.
This former governor of Anambra (south-east) has come to shake up the historic predominance of the two major parties in the country.
With this third force, the possibility of a second round was considered for the first time since the country's return to democracy in 1999.